Cost-of-living crisis: Northampton Saints faces 'toughest year'

Northampton Saints chief executive Mark Darbon said the club's electricity bill alone this season could be £100,000 higher than previously

The boss of a Premiership rugby club says the cost-of-living crisis and rising energy prices could see it facing its "toughest year" yet.

Northampton Saints chief executive Mark Darbon said it faced the twin pressures of fans having less disposable income and a huge hike in bills.

He added he expected the club's gas bill to be £100,000 more this season.

"That puts pressure on a business model already quite stressed," he said.

Mr Darbon said there were concerns about how many people would continue to visit the Saints' 15,249-capacity Cinch Stadium at Franklin's Gardens, both for the rugby and other events it held there.

Northampton Saints' players are preparing for the start of the new season

He said commercial staff met on Monday to evaluate the club's response to Covid, but there was trepidation about what the next few months may hold.

'Ticket sales slower'

"The mindset was this could well be the toughest year that we have because of those challenges we're seeing more broadly in the world," said Mr Darbon.

"Our season ticket numbers are down slightly and when we talked to people who decided not to renew, a big bit of feedback is around affordability - not price.

"For the first couple of matches our ticket sales are slightly slower than we would have hoped."

Mr Darbon said the situation had made the club determined to make people's experiences at the stadium as good as it could, in a bid to drive ticket sales and return visits.

"When someone chooses to buy a… ticket they're using hard-earned cash - it's discretionary spend," he said.

"When there's pressure on everyone's finances, those discretionary choices are harder to make."

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